


Dressed to Confess

by zenmisery



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, Marichat, Meddling Friends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sewing, Wardrobe malfunctions, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, awkward moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24591619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenmisery/pseuds/zenmisery
Summary: A lonely and forlorn Chat comes to visit his Princess and ends up keeping her company every night  leading up to her last-ditch effort to capture Adrien’s attention.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 164
Kudos: 296





	1. November 26th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to mostlovedgirl and ChocoluckChipz for being my enthusiastic betas for this!

Chat glanced over to Marinette from where he relaxed against a couple of pillows on her chaise lounge. She hadn’t spoken in probably twenty minutes, just focused intently on sketching minute details onto a design she’d been working on.

It was the third night in a row he had come to see her. The first, they’d talked for a couple of hours on the balcony before she insisted he head home. He hadn’t meant to hesitate. He didn’t want to be a burden, but over the past several months he had been hitting his limit of being alone at home every evening.

It wasn’t that his father and Nathalie weren’t around, either. They just never spoke to him or even looked at him if they didn’t absolutely have to.

Finally, two days earlier, he’d decided enough was enough and he took off in search of human connection.

Marinette was wonderful. He’d thought of her as a good friend - one of his best friends - for a little over three amazing years in which he’d felt more loved than he’d ever felt by anyone other than his mother. With his cute, clumsy friend alongside Nino, Alya, and the other great friends he’d made, he felt like a part of something.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get to be part of it nearly as often as he’d like.

So when she’d told him to go home that first night, he’d hesitated. He’d stared at her just a few moments too long, wishing he could just tell her he was Adrien and explain why he so badly needed to just be near another living, breathing human being. In those few moments, far too long to just be brushed off, Marinette had closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and asked him to please come back whenever he wanted.

If she hadn’t just asked him to leave, and if he were a little more bold, he would have just insisted that that time was right then, and made himself at home. But Marinette was willing to let him come back. She was showing him kindness and affection and he wasn’t about to overstay his welcome and make her change her mind.

He waited until the following night.

When he’d shown up, she had wasted no time. Marinette had always been pretty intuitive as far as he could tell, and when Chat Noir knocked on her window without a giant grin on his face, she’d opened the trapdoor, pulled him into her bed and held him for a long time, both of them kneeling on the mattress. It had been slightly awkward at first, but he’d slowly relaxed into her embrace, burying his face in her shoulder as he tried not to make it more awkward by crying.

He supposed she wouldn’t mind him crying, but all the same, she didn’t even know he was her close friend, and he felt like he was taking advantage of her kindness and generosity.

They’d spent the remainder of the previous evening in close proximity. Talking, laughing, daydreaming. Finally, about twenty minutes after midnight, Marinette had once again suggested that he get home. She’d asked him if he planned on coming back again soon and, his heart aching, he nodded slowly. She’d hugged him and assured him again that he could come any time.

So that night - the third night - as he stared at the most incredibly supportive friend he’d ever had (sorry Nino), he wondered when she’d ask him to leave that night. The first two nights she’d given him her undivided attention, so when he came a-calling once more, she told him he was welcome, but she really needed to focus on finishing a design and perhaps get started on sewing.

He’d only been there for about a half hour, but he wasn’t sure he’d taken his eyes off of her once the whole time. He knew he was being needy, but he really wanted to feel her arms around him again. He wanted to be held and cherished and loved in a way only she had gifted him in so so long.

He got hugs from his other friends… even Ladybug. But the way Marinette held him, it filled him with a comfort and a… longing… that he wanted to experience much, much more of.

“There!” Marinette swiveled her chair quite suddenly to be able to look in his direction, startling him somewhat. “What do you think, Kitty?”

Sitting up and placing his feet on the floor, he was about to stand when Marinette quickly rushed over and plopped herself down next to him. “Here. Take a look.” She handed him the sketchbook and leaned her head against his shoulder.

The contact sent a thrill up Chat’s spine, causing him to shiver slightly. He gazed down at the sketch of a very lovely and incredibly intricate dress. The hand-embroidery alone would probably take weeks of work. He couldn’t give any very detailed answers though, or she might start connecting the dots of his identity. Ladybug would not be pleased.

“Wow. This looks like it’s going to take a long time to make. It’s beautiful.”

When he peeked over at her, he could see a light blush adorning her cheeks. She wasn’t used to being complimented. He’d have to change that.

“Thank you, Chat. I’d like to wear it to a Christmas party I’m going to next month.”

Chat’s eyes went wide as he looked down at the design once more. She planned on finishing it in time for Chloé’s Christmas party in less than a month? The gorgeous cheongsam-inspired dress had a detachable mandarin-collar bolero and notes specified that the embroidery leading from the bust to the hip as the dress flowed out into a full skirt would be hand-stitched. There were plenty of lovely silk fabric options out there that would give Marinette some of what she was going for, but she didn’t know how to not go above and beyond.

Again unable to clue her in to how much he knew, Chat just smiled at her.

“It’s amazing. You’re going to look fantastic.” He frowned down at the sketch, making a show of his thought process before he continued. “I’m surprised you can get it done that fast, though. This looks like it would take me until Easter.”

Marinette giggled, hooking her elbow with his and snuggling closer to him. “It’ll be a lot of work, but I know I can do it. Plus, now I seem to have a companion to keep me company through what will be many late nights of embroidery.”

The relief he felt surprised him. He’d worried she was getting sick of him coming by, but her statement made it seem like she wanted him to keep it up. He kissed the top of her head and swallowed the emotion suddenly clutching at his throat.

“I’ll be happy just to be here with you. Are you sure it’s not a problem, especially on school nights?”

“I’m sure. I’d be up anyway. I prefer to do so with you around.”

She sounded sincere, and he decided to trust her.

His fingers traced the fine detail of what she would be hand-stitching along much of the length of the dress. Her signature flower design, altered slightly and interspersed with additional botanicals and…

“Are these ladybugs?”

Head popping up, Marinette beamed at him. “They are! I wasn’t sure you’d notice.”

“You thought I wouldn’t notice ladybugs?” He stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

“Ah yes, you being in love with your partner in crime-fighting just slipped my mind.” Her tongue was stuck out in return.

They smiled at each other after a moment, just gazing into the eyes of one of their dearest friends. A moment later, Chat wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. “So. Colors. What are you going for here?”

Marinette pointed down at the sketch and smiled. “The majority will be red. The frog fasteners and the majority of the embroidery will be black, but I’ll have to use some red as well in both the flowers and the ladybugs, for contrast.”

Chat blushed slightly as she tucked her head comfortably against his chest while describing the details. He was more physically at ease with Marinette than anyone else, even Ladybug, but he was still surprised by the intimacy of it. With Ladybug his heart would have jumped out of his chest in this position, but with Marinette he was able to put his brain firmly in ‘friends-only’ mode and it helped him stay calm. At least, mostly. She was still a beautiful girl, after all, and now that they were getting closer to adulthood, she was… He swallowed, trying to put a stop to that line of thought. He’d stick with the fact that she was beautiful.

“I’m also considering adding a black layer under the skirt, to draw the eye at the slit.”

His eyes followed her finger as she pointed to the skirt portion, where a slit on one side would reveal her leg all the way up to just above the knee. He swallowed again. Marinette had very long legs.

“That would… that would be nice.”

He immediately kicked himself mentally. ‘That would be nice’? What was he thinking?

Luckily, she didn’t seem to be paying much attention to his reaction. She sighed. “I just hope it does the trick.”

“What do you mean?” He evidently wasn’t done making things awkward.

Glancing down at her, he could see that she was blushing furiously. She sat up, removing her pleasant warmth from his side. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she smiled sheepishly. “The red… the ladybugs…” She bit her bottom lip adorably. “It’s all about luck.”

He grinned involuntarily. “So it’s not just because you know I have a type?”

What. Was. Wrong. With. Him.

In his mind, he hung his head in his hands and wept for his inevitably lost friendship.

To his utter delight and completely undeservedly, she just smirked and rolled her eyes. “Silly kitty. No, I just… It’s kind of a ‘last hurrah’ kind of thing, actually. The…” she got visibly nervous all of a sudden, “the boy I love still hasn’t noticed me after all this time and…” She looked up into his eyes, sad and hopeful. “Don’t you ever wonder if you should just move on? From Ladybug, I mean.”

Devastation clutched at Chat’s chest. He knew exactly how she felt. Truthfully, he’d wondered exactly that a lot lately. If he was honest, he thought for a long time that he’d wait forever for her, but lately… His lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded slowly, admitting something to Marinette that he’d barely admitted to himself.

She gave him a sympathetic smile and interlaced her fingers with his. “Then you get it. I… I don’t know how much longer I can go on loving someone who only sees me as a friend. If I can’t get him to see me as something more, or if I can’t even tell him how I feel, there’s no point. So…”

She turned her body toward him and grinned determinedly. “I’m going to wear this amazing dress, I’m gonna look completely irresistible, and I’m finally just going to tell him that he’s never been just a friend to me. If he turns me down, I…” Her face fell somewhat before she clenched her jaw and regained her determination. “I’ll know, and I can move on confidently.”

Chat’s responding smile was wide as he watched this incredible girl work through some complicated emotions. Ones he could entirely relate to. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure who the boy was, but he assumed it was Luka. He couldn’t imagine why she thought the guitarist only thought of her as a friend, but he was sure there was a reason.

“But you’re hoping it works and he tells you he feels the same…?”

Marinette squeezed his hand, looking down at their interlaced fingers. Her cheeks were red again, but she smiled. “Of course I am, Chat. He’s… to me he’s… everything I’ve ever wanted. At least, in terms of a relationship. I have ambitions outside of just getting married and making babies.”

“Oh. I know you do. It’s one of the things I admire most about you.”

Her smile was soft and she leaned her head against his shoulder once again, their hands still firmly clasped together. “But I do want that, too. With him.”

Chat laid his cheek against the top of her head and they sat like that for a long time. He wondered if he should do something similar with Ladybug. One last hurrah and then move on. The thought made him want to cry. Unlike Marinette, he’d told Ladybug how he felt. He’d declared his love, he’d flirted, he’d given her gifts…

And she had still acted like it was all a big joke.

The jumble of thoughts and plans in his mind had yet to gain any sort of cohesive form, but one thing stood out, clear as day.

Luka would be an absolute fool to turn Marinette down.


	2. November 30th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’ve spent a week of nights together and Chat’s having a hard time staying awake so late. Marinette finds something for him to do that definitely wakes him up.

“Yes! Finally!”

The rhythmic rumble of Marinette’s sewing machine had been gently lulling Chat to sleep when he was suddenly startled fully awake.

“AAAHH!”

Bending forward to cut the thread and pull the bodice away from her machine, Marinette spun around in her chair and grinned at her no-longer-sleepy kitty.

“Oh, did I wake you?” She had fully meant to, if she was being perfectly honest. She knew that all the late nights were starting to catch up to her and assumed that the same was true for Chat, but it’d only been a week. Surely he could hold out longer than that.

Marinette stood and sauntered over to him as he slowly sat up more, rubbing an eye.

“Sorry, Marinette. I guess I started falling asleep.”

“I’m aware, kitty. But now I need your help, so I need you awake.”

Chat stretched and yawned dramatically before hopping to his feet, grinning at his late-night companion. “Chat Noir, at your service.”

Suppressing a smirk, Marinette thrust the bodice into his hands. “Good. Hold this while I try on the skirt.”

She turned toward her mannequin and pulled the skirt up and over the top after pulling out a few pins.

“Now that I’m finished with the individual pieces of the dress, I need to try them on to make sure I don’t need to make adjustments before I put everything together.”

She had thankfully worn a pair of shorts with her normal pajama tank top, and would be able to get a good idea of what the skirt would look like on her. She carefully shimmied the fabric onto her lower half and stepped in front of the mirror as she held the skirt in place at her waist.

“What do you think?”

Chat was standing behind her, staring at the slit that showed off her leg in the reflection. She thought she saw a hint of pink peeking out from underneath his mask, but it was hard to be certain. It would be pretty silly for him to be blushing about such a thing when he’d just seen her wearing her pajama shorts for the last couple hours.

“It’s… very nice.”

Marinette let out a hearty chuckle. It may not have been the reaction she was hoping for, but she couldn’t expect him to have much to say when she was only wearing the lower half of the dress and he didn’t know fashion. “Thanks, Chat.”

Taking another minute to look over the garment, Marinette deemed it ‘not half bad’ and slipped the skirt down her legs. After removing it carefully, she draped it over the mannequin once again, pinning it back into place.

She took her time, knowing that what she was about to ask of him might be taking things too far. She was already feeling guilty for allowing herself to spend so much extra time with him when he didn’t know she was his partner. In fact she wouldn’t have, if it hadn’t been so painfully obvious that he was desperate for the company.

But this was normal in the fashion industry. She could follow through with what she had planned, and his would be her very-much-needed second set of hands. He was her good friend, and it was fine. It didn’t have to be weird. It’s not like she was asking Adrien to do it.

“Okay,” she began, after justifying it in her head, “I need you to do something for me, and it’s a little embarrassing.” She turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were wide and unsure.

“Uh, sure. What is it?” He was fidgeting slightly with the silk garment in his hands.

Marinette eyed his fingers, concerned about the way he was manhandling the fabric. “Careful Chat. Silk is expensive, and you have claws.” She turned away from him and started pulling off her pajama top.

“Whoa! What—“

Marinette watched Chat in the mirror as he turned around, seemingly trying to find something to focus on that would distract him from the fact that it became very obvious very quickly that she hadn’t been wearing a bra underneath. His cheeks were bright red and she idly wondered how much worse it would have been if she had been facing him at the time.

Laughing heartily at his reaction, Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. “I know you’re not in fashion, but it’s really not a big deal. At some point you just have to focus on the task at hand and ignore the bodies.”

Chat nodded furiously. “Yeah, that makes sense. It’s just different… or I assume it is… when you’re alone, and that person is a friend of yours.”

Concerned she’d taken this too far, and also concerned for the bodice she’d worked so hard on, Marinette stepped up behind him and reached around to place her hand on his, her other arm draped across her chest, concealing herself as much as she could.

“I’m sorry, Chat. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d be comfortable with this.”

He relinquished the garment and she pulled it close, dropping her arm from her chest as she inspected the bodice for any damage. Thankfully finding none, she wrapped it around her body and informed Chat she was covered up again.

He turned around slowly, seemingly nervous about possibly seeing her upper body bare again.

“Wow.”

“Wow?” Marinette turned toward the mirror and looked at herself. She was holding the bodice closed in the back kind of awkwardly with her hands, but it was a good fit and it accentuated her slight curves in a way that made her feel much more feminine than she ever felt around the likes of Alya and Mylène.

“Wow,” she repeated.

The combination of a well-fit, delicate bodice and her pajama shorts was odd, but at least she could get a half-decent idea of how it was going to look when it was finished. It would be easier if she could hold it without having to have her arms bent back oddly though. She stepped closer to the mirror, trying to get a better look at any adjustments she’d have to make when suddenly Chat stepped up behind her, holding the fabric together so she could focus on her inspection.

She looked up at his reflection and he gazed back into her eyes, a soft smile on his face. “Sorry. Let me help you.”

“You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable, Chat. I understand.”

“No, no. It’s fine. Let me do this. I just had to get used to the idea. It’s not every day my friends take their clothes off in front of me.”

Marinette could definitely understand that. She’d probably lose her mind if Adrien started undressing in front of her. But she had feelings for him, so it was probably different than how Chat felt about her unexpectedly removing her shirt.

Except she was Ladybug, and he was in love with Ladybug.

She grimaced, but tried to play it off as concern over a seam that she ran her finger along, even though it was nearly flawless.

Maybe she shouldn’t be so casual with him when eventually he would know that she was his partner. Though that likely wouldn’t be for a long time with the way things had been going with Hawk Moth, she had still probably taken it too far. It wasn’t like she had feelings for him, but she recognized that allowing herself to be physically closer to him simply because there weren’t any expectations for their relationship to go any further was indulgent and unfair. She loved him and wanted to be close to him, but only in an incredibly close friends kind of way. Though she was certain he felt much the same way about Marinette, it felt wrong to trick him.

“Can you pull it just a bit tighter?”

Chat adjusted his grip, his warm hands pressing closer to her back. The sensation was pleasant and comforting in the cool of her bedroom, and she found herself unintentionally moving closer to him.

The fit was perfect then, but Marinette hadn’t stopped moving closer to him, and when her back pressed against his chest, his grip slipped. All at once, the bodice fell to the floor and Chat turned her around, pressing her chest against him in an apparent attempt to maintain her decency.

“S-sorry, Princess.” He had his arms wrapped tightly around her, almost protectively. “I was so worried about not nicking the fabric with my claws that I wasn’t paying enough attention to how firmly I was holding it.”

Marinette peeked up at his face, but his eyes were shut tight. “It’s okay, Chat. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“It really wasn’t, I promise. I wouldn’t do something like that.”

“I know. I trust you.” She didn’t want to pull away from his warmth, but as much as she found she loved being held by him, doing so while topless was probably not the best plan. “Keep your eyes closed.”

The blush on his cheeks was clear as day. “I will. No need to worry about that.”

Marinette pulled back and his arms dropped away from her, only to raise again as he covered his eyes with his hands. She smiled. He was always so respectful, always such a gentleman. She picked up the bodice from the floor and draped it back over the mannequin before grabbing her tank top and slipping it back on.

“Okay. You can look.”

Chat continued to stand there with his hands pressed firmly over his eyes.

“I promise. No chance of any impropriety.”

Dropping his arms to his sides, Chat peeked an eye open to make sure before he allowed himself to open his eyes completely. He sighed and grinned at her nervously. “Sorry, Princess. Just had to be sure. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

A soft smile on her face, Marinette crossed the small distance and took his hand in her own long enough to give it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve never made me uncomfortable, Chat. Not really.” She turned away, heading to one of the drawers of her desk. “Why don’t you sit down on the chaise? This next step is the longest one, and it’s going to be mostly me sitting, focusing intently on what I’m doing.”

She pulled out an embroidery hoop and turned back toward her partner just as he flopped down onto the chaise. She was glad to see that the awkwardness didn’t seem to be lingering.

“I really appreciate you sticking around, Chat.” Marinette turned back to her desk, grabbing her preferred needle and black embroidery floss before heading over to the mannequin once more to snatch the bodice off of it. “It’s so much easier to stay on task when I have someone to talk to and hang out with.”

She perched on the edge of the chaise, her back lightly touching the side of his leg where he had it propped up, his feet planted firmly on the middle of the cushion as he leaned back against the pillows.

“Sorry, Mari… should I move?”

“Nope. This is perfect for now, at least until I finish getting set up.” She glanced over her shoulder at his boots. “Though I would insist you take off your shoes if it were possible.”

“Uh, sorry, I—“

“I’m kidding.” Marinette turned to look at him while she carefully pressed the fabric into the embroidery hoop, her tongue stuck out playfully. “You may be a stray, but you’re not a dirty one.”

They spent the next hour talking about anything and everything while she worked on the first outlines of her floral design.

She had been finishing up a story about her first attempt to make a soufflé when she felt his leg tip toward her, pressing against her side in her new position sitting between his legs as he relaxed against the mound of pillows she’d accumulated over time. They hadn’t really made any physical contact despite their position, so the change was surprising, though not exactly unwelcome.

“Let’s just say it was a long while before I tried to make another.” She slowly turned to see him nuzzling against one of her pillows, his eyes shut and lips slightly parted.

“Chat?”

He was out. Poor kitty, he had already been so sleepy and then she kept him up for another hour and a half.

Carefully extricating herself from between his legs, she stood and set her project on the desk. She retrieved a blanket and took it back over to him, covering him so he wouldn’t be cold. Leaning close, she smiled as she admired the way he looked as he slept. Hardly able to resist with how adorable he was, she pressed her lips gently against his cheek and ran her fingers through his soft hair before standing back up.

“Goodnight, Chaton,” she whispered before shutting off the light and climbing up to her bed to get some rest as well.

* * *

Shortly after five in the morning, Marinette woke slightly to the sound of the hatch above her being delicately shut. After a moment, she raised her hand to her cheek, where it felt like Chat had returned the favor of a goodnight kiss.


	3. December 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A late-night akuma interrupts Chat and Marinette's cozy evening together, and Chat comes to a realization.

Chat ran his fingers delicately through Marinette’s hair, gently undoing his sixth failed attempt at a braid. Scooting just a bit closer to her where he sat behind her on her chaise, he started gathering her hair into three sections once again.

“Seriously, how do you make this look so easy? Your hair is way too silky to cooperate fully.”

Marinette giggled. Her focus was on her embroidery, as it had been for days, but Chat reveled in the sound of her laughter, in the way it felt like he received all of her attention. He had been spending each evening with her for nearly two weeks, and it was the unequivocal highlight of his day. He saw her at school all the time too, but his time with her as Chat was so different. She was so much more relaxed and open and he was beginning to feel like he never wanted it to end.

Spending time with such a wonderful girl was an eye-opening experience for him. He’d been in love with Ladybug for years, and in all that time hadn’t learned a tenth of what he’d learned about Marinette in the short time they’d been spending together. He knew how she liked her tea, her favorite movies, what she thought of nearly everyone she went to school with… though he noted idly that she had yet to share her thoughts on his civilian self.

As he failed at a seventh attempt at braiding her hair, he sighed, leaning forward and resting his forehead on her shoulder.

“It’s hopeless.”

“It is not hopeless. See?” Marinette held her embroidery a little higher for him to see the ladybug she had just finished. “You’ve got all the luck in the world in this room with you. Just… stop being afraid to handle me a little rougher.”

Chat had been in the process of resting his chin on her shoulder so he could gaze at the adorable little ladybug when his brain registered what she said and his cheeks reddened. He forced himself to remain still so as not to draw attention to the awkwardness of her word choice. It seemed she noticed anyway.

“I, uh… I mean my hair.” She immediately dropped the embroidery back to her lap, bowed her head, and continued her work.

Afraid to move, desperately wanting to make her feel at ease again, Chat hummed and placed his hands on her upper arms. “It looks amazing, Marinette. You’ve made so much progress.”

He could feel the tension leave her as she let out a long sigh and tilted her head to rest against his.

“Thank you. Are you getting sleepy, Chat?”

Taking a deep breath in, Chat was filled with the comfort of her warmth and her sugar cookie aroma. “Nope. You’re just comfy.”

Setting down her project for a moment, Marinette reached her hand up to run her fingers through his hair and scratch gently behind one of his ears. It was a simple gesture, but it turned him into putty in her hands and he found himself involuntarily nuzzling against her neck.

A moment later, she pulled her hand away, and he felt like he had made a mistake. He raised his head, his mouth dropping open as he tried to find the words to apologize for his unintentionally intimate action.

Before he could, both of their phones beeped loudly with a familiar alarm.

An akuma had been spotted.

Wasting no time in hopping to his feet, Chat turned back to Marinette, a slight blush on his cheeks.

“S-sorry. I, uh… I guess I gotta… I’ll come back, okay? Is that okay?”

All she did was nod in response, and he hoped that really meant that he hadn’t ruined everything, because he didn’t have more time to make sure that he hadn’t. Chat gave her a quick half-smile and salute before leaping up to her bed and making his way out into the cold night air.

* * *

Chat batted away yet another clay pot away as it hurtled toward him. He was getting pushed further and further from the villain he was supposed to be getting closer to. It had only been a few minutes, but the pottery assault was absolutely constant and he had no idea where Ladybug was.

A few more vases smashed to smithereens, and Chat finally saw the familiar red and black of Paris’ premiere superhero swing in behind the victim of Hawk Moth’s most recent exploitation, in an apparent attempt to allow her partner to get close enough to do his job.

Chat rushed in, using the temporary distraction to his advantage, and knocked the large weapon that resembled a rocket launcher out of the akumatized art teacher’s hands. The pottery gun skidded across the tile floor of the Trocadero, stopping near Ladybug’s feet. Picking it up and swinging to a nearby roof, Chat continued to engage the villain in hand-to-hand combat in order to give Ladybug the time she needed to figure out their next move.

Dodging another blow, Chat grinned. They were nearly done, he could feel it. Which was good, because he was in a hurry. He hated having to run out on Marinette right after probably making her uncomfortable.

“If you’re trying to get my miraculous, you’re not exactly _kil’n_ it.”

He pulled out his baton and blocked another lunge while Ladybug attempted to break the gun with no success.

“Chat!”

He didn’t really need her to explain. They’d been partners for years and they worked as one. It was why Chat had always believed they were meant to be. But as time went on and she continued to rebuff his affections, Chat wondered if Ladybug would ever change her mind. Was it worth holding out hope?

They switched targets. Ladybug tossed the pottery gun into the air and immediately swung out her yo-yo, wrapping it around Hawk Moth’s latest failed attempt. Chat leapt toward the gun, calling out his cataclysm. The moment his fingers touched it, the weapon began to disintegrate, and out flew a small black butterfly.

Ladybug released the confused villain who’d been cut off from their purpose and snatched up the akuma, purifying and releasing it as Chat made his way to help the art teacher stand.

After assuring that they could get home safely, Chat turned toward Ladybug who was already holding out her fist. He touched his lightly against hers and gave her a half smile.

“Sorry, Ladybug. I gotta run. But you have a good night.”

“Wait, Chat! Are you okay? You’re acting kind of odd. Why are you in such a rush?”

Chat paused, poised to launch himself off toward Marinette’s house, and turned toward his partner.

“What do you mean? I’m fine. I just want to get back to where I was before this.”

He thought he saw the hint of a blush on Ladybug’s cheeks as she turned away from him.

“I think I only heard one pottery-related pun out of your mouth, and you didn’t make a single flirtatious remark. I’ve noticed a decrease, but this is the least ever.”

She didn’t sound upset. She just sounded like she was making an observation. Chat chuckled softly. “I guess I’m finally growing past it.” His ring gave off a warning beep and he knew he needed to go feed Plagg before he could head back to Marinette. “Anyway, I gotta get home, so you have a good night.”

“Home?” Ladybug turned back toward him, a look on her face he couldn’t place.

“Well… it feels like home anyway.” He smiled at his partner, realizing that perhaps he really could do it. He could move past her if it was for someone who made him feel so loved and wanted the way Marinette did. “Take care, Ladybug.”

With that, he took off toward the place he wanted to be more than anything.

* * *

“Adrien, Adrien, Adrien…” Plagg shook his head while he took another slow bite of his camembert.

Rolling his eyes, Adrien leaned back against the wall on one side of the alley he was hiding in. “Just hurry up and finish your cheese, I need to get back to Marinette.”

Plagg hummed with satisfaction while he chewed, swallowing before giving his chosen another wide grin. “Adrien, Adrien, Adrien, Adrien…”

“WHAT!? Stop saying my name!”

Another tiny nibble and Plagg looked at him mischievously. “You still haven’t completely realized what’s happened, have you?”

The boy pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an exasperated sigh. “Nothing has happened, Plagg, other than you wasting time I could be spending with Marinette.”

“Oh Adrien, you’re denser than a black hole. I would know, I’m the reason some of them exist.”

The glare Adrien gave him could have killed a lesser kwami.

“Alright, alright. I’ll let you get back to your lady love.” Plagg tossed the cheese up and caught it in his mouth, swallowing it whole.

“We’re going back to Marinette’s.”

Plagg stared at him blankly. “I’m fully aware of where we’re headed.”

Adrien felt his cheeks warm but ignored it, calling for his transformation and hurrying to Marinette’s balcony.

Dropping down onto her loft bed, he spotted Marinette sitting on the chaise, wringing her hands. She stood when she noticed him, appearing to have been lost in thought. He jumped down to stand in front of her and smiled.

“Sorry that took so long, Princess.” He glanced down at the embroidery hoop sitting forgotten behind her. It didn’t look like she had gotten any further than she’d been when he’d had to leave suddenly. “I thought for sure you would have made a lot of progress while I was gone.”

Marinette turned to see what he was looking at and then quickly turned back to him, a sheepish look on her face. “I uh… I was worried about you. I couldn’t focus, knowing you were…”

She had been worried about him. Chat’s heart felt like it might burst. He could hardly help his sudden overwhelming desire to reach out and hold her, so he gave in. It was entirely worth it.

After a moment her arms wrapped tightly around his torso and she rested her cheek against his chest, her warmth filling him with a sense of peace. He smiled as he kissed the top of her head and enjoyed how perfect it felt to have her in his arms.

“Well, we can’t have you unable to focus. I’m not going anywhere as long as I can help it. I’ll stay as much as I need to to help you finish this project. I know how important it is to you.”

It hurt his heart to think that the end goal of all of this was for Marinette to confess her love to Luka. What a lucky guy he was, that someone as wonderful as Marinette could love him enough to put this much effort in.

Chat held her closer, selfishly wanting to savor as much of her affection as he could before she promised herself to another. Why did he always have to want what he couldn’t have? This was the second time he had fallen for a girl who was in love with someone else.

His eyes went wide.

Did he just admit that he was falling in love with Marinette?


	4. December 11th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette grapples with her changing feelings and tries to balance them with her plans to confess to Adrien.

Ladybug watched as Chat Noir kicked his legs off the side of Notre Dame, gazing off in the direction of her balcony. A soft smile played across her lips when she realized that he was likely thinking of her.

She and her sweet kitty had grown so much closer during the last couple of weeks and, though it had frightened and confused her at first, she was becoming much more used to the idea of the strong feelings she knew she was gaining for her partner.

Her plan to try one last time to confess her feelings to Adrien was always going to result in her trying to make something work with Chat if it turned out he didn’t feel the same. At first that had felt like it would be a futile effort, but she no longer felt that way. The potential for being turned down by the boy she’d spent so long loving unrequitedly used to break her heart. In less than three weeks, with him not constantly flirting and making lame jokes, Chat had changed everything.

She was sure that Adrien turning her down would be just another step on the path that she truly belonged on. She would always cherish the kind friend who offered her his umbrella in the rain, but she could be happy even if ‘friends’ was all they would ever be. It would still hurt. It would still take time to put her feelings for Adrien aside entirely, but Chat would be there to help her through it as her friend and partner first and foremost. Then, at some point hopefully, as something more.

Sighing contentedly, Ladybug reached over and took Chat’s hand, lacing her fingers with his. It was something she had done casually many times by that point and it gave her comfort.

Except, it was something Marinette had done… not Ladybug.

She felt Chat stiffen as his gaze drifted from the direction of her balcony to look her in the eye. He looked shocked, confused, and… hurt.

Ladybug wanted to smile, to reassure him, to tell him that her change in feelings was a good thing. She wished she could tell him who she was so he would stop looking like she had just slapped him.

But she couldn’t do any of those things. The look on his face rendered her unable to move, much less do anything to better the situation.

A moment later, Chat’s eyes began to fill with tears and he looked down at their joined hands, flinching as though he had only just noticed them. He pulled his hand away, quickly and forcefully, a look of shock and shame in his eyes. Immediately hopping to his feet, he turned away from her.

“I should go.” Pulling his baton out from behind his back, he planted it on the roof. Hesitating only a moment, he launched himself off into the cold winter air.

* * *

Marinette laid her head down on her desk, waiting for her classmates to start filing into the classroom. It was usually a nice reprieve when an akuma would strike right before their lunch break. It often meant that she could take a few extra minutes to relax with Chat Noir. It had been nice that day too, until she hadn’t thought her actions through.

She wrapped her arms around her head and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, willing herself not to cry. What was wrong with her? She’d messed up so badly by not considering how Chat would feel when Ladybug suddenly started showing him attention she’d insisted for years she never would. Where she’d thought that he would be happy to have her return his affections, he had instead shut her down in no uncertain terms when she finally, literally, reached out.

Had she waited too long? Had she ruined her chances with him because she’d been too hung up on a boy who only saw her as a friend?

Chat had looked so peaceful and happy when he’d been staring off in the direction of her balcony just prior to her huge mistake. Not only that, but every interaction she’d had with him over the last week or so as Marinette confirmed her suspicions.

Chat Noir liked her. The thought did strange things to her heart. Was it possible to have it be crushed and feel so full at the same time? How had she put herself in this situation where he was simultaneously falling for her and moving on from her at the same time? She was the Guardian… maybe it was time to really consider telling hi—

A hand touched her shoulder. “Marinette? Are you alright? You’re back early from lunch.”

Lifting her head abruptly, her mouth hanging open, Marinette nearly slammed her head into Adrien’s. He had been standing next to her and leaned in close to check on her.

He stepped back out of reflex, but kept his hand on her shoulder, stepping closer again when he saw the look on her face. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I uh…” she began, her gaze drifting away from his eyes. She could feel the tears beginning to fill her eyes and she started blinking them back rapidly. “I’m fine. I think I just haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

She couldn’t very well tell him the truth… that she was simultaneously falling for and scaring away the same boy while becoming increasingly unsure about where she stood on her feelings about him - the boy standing in front of her - and was also sending confusing signals to the first boy because she was determined to give the second boy one last chance.

The hand on her shoulder moved to gently caress her cheek and tuck her hair behind her ear. Marinette’s eyes went wide, slowly moving to meet his. Once their eyes met, Adrien seemed to realize what he’d done, his own eyes growing to the size of saucers. He snatched his hand away and moved it to the back of his neck, looking nervous.

“Sorry, Mari, I just… I was worried about you. I—“

“It’s fine!” Marinette blurted out, her heart pounding in her chest. She forced a smile that she hoped was convincing. “It didn’t bother me, I was just surprised, is all.”

He was about to say something else when other students began filtering into the classroom, and he instead smiled nervously and took his seat in front of her.

Marinette hadn’t thought the situation could get any more confusing, but then Adrien had to go and be perfect and sweet and make her heart go crazy. If she was going to truly move on from him, she needed him to turn her down when she confessed.

At the same time, she really hoped he wouldn’t, and things like him touching her so tenderly and with such genuine concern made her believe that maybe he really could return her feelings.

Miss Bustier’s lecture dragged on, and Marinette was feeling impatient and antsy. The ticking clock mocked her as she stared at the back of Adrien’s head, trying to sort out her feelings. Alya roused her from her thoughtful catastrophizing when she leaned over and nudged her arm.

“Looks like some things never change, girl.” Alya winked and tipped her head toward Adrien, a sly grin on her face.

Marinette grimaced and tried to refocus on what the teacher was explaining, a blush covering every inch of her face.

This was all going to be much more complicated than she realized.

* * *

She was spiraling, her mind running through the mess she’d created and every possible outcome as she paced back and forth across her bedroom floor. Chat was due to arrive any minute and she was losing her ability to stay calm and collected around him.

Her feelings for Adrien had ramped up again and she no longer knew what to do with them. The same thing as always, she reasoned in her head… shove them down and assume they’d never be returned.

Except… how could she after the way he’d looked at her? The gentle way his fingers brushed against her skin like she was the most precious thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

She covered her face with both hands and groaned. She had thought she was finally moving on, finally focusing her attention and her heart on someone who loved her.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at Tikki, who had been watching her patiently. Marinette knew that her kwami was just waiting for her to finally say all that was on her mind, but she was afraid to voice it. Afraid of what Tikki’s advice might consist of.

She had loved Adrien for years. He was all she’d wanted for such a long time and loving him felt as natural as breathing.

Loving Chat, which she had fully accepted she did by that point, was something she had resisted for almost as long. Once she finally stopped forcing herself not to love him, it was as easy as falling.

“Tikki,” Marinette began, her arms falling limp to her sides. “I think I messed everything up.”

Tikki’s soft smile was reassuring, but she knew it didn’t necessarily mean the kwami didn’t have some tough-to-swallow bit of wisdom to impart.

“Marinette… you haven’t ruined anything. I know you’re in a difficult position, but you’ll make the right decision. I know you will. Stay the course, take your time. Don’t rush into anything.”

Marinette nodded slowly, her exterior far calmer than she thought possible given her internal upheaval. She was, for lack of a better phrase, freaking the hell out. A million thoughts were jumbled up in her head and she couldn’t sort them out. She needed to talk to someone, she needed to figure out what to do, she needed—

A sound from her balcony caught her attention and she stopped, listening intently. The sound was familiar.

Pacing.

Practically sprinting up the steps to her bed, she opened up the hatch and peeked out, capturing Chat’s attention. He looked startled to see her, and stressed in general.

“Marinette.” He took several steps closer until he was within arm’s reach and she could see the way she’d been feeling somehow reflected in his eyes.

Without a second thought, Marinette reached out and took his hand. When he didn’t object, she tugged him carefully down into the bedroom with her, until she was able to shut the hatch and they were both kneeling on the bed.

Chat’s eyes hadn’t left hers once. As soon as she was able to give her attention entirely to him, he lifted a gloved hand and caressed her cheek, his mouth slightly agape.

She could see the quick rise and fall of his chest in her periphery as she gazed intently into his eyes. He seemed to be as worked up as she was and it only increased the feeling within her. Unthinkingly, she moved closer, reaching her own hand out to touch his jawline, her fingers running along it softly.

Chat’s hand moved to bury itself in her hair and his other caressed her side before pulling her the slightest bit closer.

That small distance between them was evidently all that had been keeping her from giving in and losing herself in her partner. Marinette wrapped her arms around Chat’s neck and kissed him. No hesitation, no nervousness, she simply pressed her lips against his. A breath later, she felt him begin to move in response.

They stayed like that for a long while, their lips finding a rhythm together and slowly learning the steps to their dance.

Unbelievable guilt began to settle on Marinette’s heart and she pulled back, about to insist that they stop... when she saw how he was looking at her.

No one had ever looked at her that way before. It was the single most ridiculously sexy thing she had ever seen in her life, and her stupid hormones got the better of her, or so she would come to believe. She grabbed his face, kissing him harder and pulling him down with her so they were lying on the bed facing one another.

His arms encircled her like that was where they’d been made to go, and he pulled her tight against him, opening his mouth slightly and tentatively licking her bottom lip.

The sensation was odd but welcome, and Marinette once again wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened their kiss, her tongue finding his as she prayed he’d keep his eyes closed so he wouldn’t see the reason for the warmth of her cheeks.

They took their time, getting used to the feel of lips, tongues, and teeth coming together, sometimes somewhat painfully. Nervous giggles erupted from both of them when they bumped against each other awkwardly, but their mouths soon met again.

Occasionally they would stop, taking deep breaths while the intensity of their eye contact rivaled the intensity of their furious kissing. Marinette could feel the tension in the air, but what she had to say, and whatever he was worrying about was left unsaid by either party.

She knew it was selfish. She knew she should stop whatever it was they were doing until she’d told him the truth. She knew he could end up hating her for this alone once he did have the whole story.

Then his lips moved to kiss along her jaw and his hands caressed up and down her sides and she forgot how to think.

 _Sorry, Tikki._ So much for not rushing into anything.


	5. December 12th - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat wakes up the next morning and addresses his feelings, coming up with a plan for how to move forward.

For the last hour, Chat had been staring at the beautiful girl lying next to him. His head was swimming with thoughts, worries, and concerns; but that wasn’t all. He was also floating, metaphorically at least, far above Paris on the high that was Marinette.

The night previous had been the single most confusing night of his life. But he also, in those precious hours, felt more loved and accepted than he had in years. She hadn’t pushed him away, told him he was being silly, or even made fun of him when it was obvious he didn’t know what he was doing.

But then again, neither did she.

They had learned together, exploring new sensations and intense feelings that neither of them had experienced before. It was amazing, what she had given him. He made her feel wanted, in oh so many ways, and he had to have more of it.

More of Marinette.

Their night together had remained frustratingly chaste. It was definitely a good thing they hadn’t gone too far when they hadn’t even discussed a relationship or anything beyond a friendship before that point. He had to admit that to himself, however begrudgingly. 

Also there was the issue of her not knowing that he was, in fact, her longtime classmate who she had never shown any interest in.

It was dishonest. She didn’t have feelings for Adrien. In fact… she had outright denied liking him as anything other than a friend on more than one occasion. That had never bothered him until he started falling for her, but now it bothered him a lot.

She liked Luka. She had been putting so much effort into her plan to finally tell him how she felt and… she wanted a future with him.

Would she ever feel that way about Adrien? Could she? And how angry would she be when she realized that he had essentially tricked her into making out with someone she definitely was not interested in?

Chat sighed and pulled his baton closer to his face to check the time. Another half hour and he’d need to leave, lest he run the risk of Nathalie realizing he wasn’t in the mansion. 

His chest tightened as he looked back at Marinette. He loved her. He wanted to be with her. He also owed it to her to put a stop to this until she knew the truth, and until she had a chance to figure out if Luka felt the same way about her.

He swallowed.

It was obvious to him that Luka did feel the same way. He was confused how she could ever have thought differently.

So, that was that. He had to back off. Tell her that they should hold off until after the Christmas party, and… and if things went well—

He reached out and gently brushed the hair away from her eyes.

If things went well… he would be happy for her. No pressure, no hard feelings. He was used to just being her friend.

Marinette’s eyes opened for a moment before she closed them again, reaching up a hand to gently grasp at the one on her cheek, a contented smile on her face.

“Mmm… g’morning, kitty.” Her voice was still filled with sleep, but she sounded like she was in good spirits and… maybe even didn’t regret what they’d done. 

Maybe…

No. He had to go forward with his plan. He couldn’t let her give up on what she’d worked so hard for just because they’d made a hasty decision after a day that seemed to not have been good for either of them.

The soft smile he had intended looking far more like a grimace, Chat moved his hand from Marinette’s cheek, pushing himself up onto his elbow to get a clearer look at her.

“We should talk. About last night.”

Her hand still lay against her cheek where his had just been. Marinette nodded slowly, her eyes drifting away from his. “You’re right. I’ve been thinking about it and—“

“I’ve been thinking about it too.” Pushing himself the remainder of the way, Chat sat up, facing her and sitting cross-legged.

“You have?” Her eyes growing wider, Marinette scrambled to sit up as well, tucking her loose hair behind her ears. Folding her hands into her lap and biting her lower lip, she watched him expectantly. “Um… so, what do _you_ think?”

Goodness, was she ever beautiful. Chat nearly forgot all about telling her they should wait and leaned forward to resume where they’d left off before they fell asleep.

But he resisted, despite her powerful magnetic pull.

“I think… I think we rushed into something neither of us were really ready for.”

Her eyes darted toward his and then away again, a light blush covering her cheeks. She opened her mouth as though to speak, then closed it again, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

The urge to touch her was unbelievable, so he reached out and took her hands to have contact with her, and also to assure her that he wasn’t outright pushing her away.

“Marinette?”

Slowly she brought her eyes back to his and squeezed his hands almost imperceptibly.

“I need you to know that I don’t regret any part of last night.”

She only continued to stare, so he resolved to say all he needed to say.

“I… I have feelings for you. I do.” His heart started pounding uncontrollably in his chest. “But you don’t even know who I am yet, and I feel like being with you this way is like lying.”

Marinette’s mouth dropped open for a moment. After a moment she seemed to realize and clamped it shut again.

Chat clenched his jaw, hating what he’d say next, but knowing it needed to be said. “But that’s not all that’s holding me back.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The whole time I’ve been coming each night, you’ve been working toward a goal. To tell…” He wasn’t supposed to know that the boy she was readying herself to confess to was Luka. “To tell the boy you like how you feel.”

Her eyes drifting away from his again, Marinette stared off to the side, still quiet.

He clutched her hands once more and licked his lips nervously. “I still want you to do that. Like you said - if he turns you down, you can move on confidently, knowing that you gave it your best shot. And if… if he doesn’t—“ An intense pain crushed his heart in its grasp. “I’ll be so happy for you, Marinette. You deserve to be with the person you love.”

When she didn’t speak for several long moments, Chat followed her line of sight. She was staring at her mannequin, where the dress she was getting so close to finishing was covered with a white sheet.

She suddenly looked back at him, a joyless smile on her face and unshed tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Chat. I appreciate that.” She pulled her hands out of his grip, slowly, so he could savor every lingering moment of her touch. “But… will you… will you make a deal with me?” Her eyes shone, all at once filled with hope.

Taken aback by her vulnerability, Chat’s mouth dropped open slightly as he once again felt her magnetic draw. “Of course.”

Her cheeks taking on a pink hue, Marinette bit her lip gently, seemingly trying to find the courage to make her request.

“Would you… would you come? To the party? I uh… I can make you something that matches my dress and that way…”

Chat’s heart was beating out of his chest. There was still a chance.

“That way if… i-if he turns me down I’ll still have someone to dance with.”

He couldn’t help himself. He gathered her up into his arms, hugging her tight. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. He didn’t want his happiness to come at the cost of hers… but if Luka turned her down he would do everything he possibly could to not make her feel like he was a consolation prize.

“Of course I will. I’ll be there.”

Marinette’s arms jerked somewhat before she relaxed enough to wrap them around him as well. “You can’t come as... Chat. I don’t want to draw attention if I’ve just gotten…”

“I get it. I’ll... come as my civilian self.” What was he saying? He couldn’t just make such flippant decisions. He needed to run this by Ladybug first. The Ladybug who he’d just confused and probably hurt when he pulled away. She’d be even more hurt when she found out it was because he wanted to tell some other girl who he was. Ugh… why did this have to be so complicated?

Marinette pulled back slightly, both still holding the other, but enough so she could look him in the eye. “Really? You’d do that? Are you sure you… trust me enough to let me know who you are?”

Boy, was he in trouble. He smiled sincerely. “Of course I do, Marinette. And I want to be there for you. Even if you leave happily with this other boy, it’ll help to know I’m there, right?”

Her eyes filled with tears and she seemed unable to speak, but a genuine smile graced her lips and she nodded fervently.

They embraced once more, tightly, before letting go. Both of them wiped tears from their eyes, Chat chuckling out of nervousness and embarrassment. The only other girl he’d been so vulnerable around was Ladybug, and he had never been half as intimate with her as he’d been with Marinette.

A not-so-small part of him wanted to strangle himself for effectively pushing away the girl he’d recently fallen head over heels in love with. It felt so final, like he’d given up his only chance to be with this amazing, creative person in front of him. He would just have to hope, as awful as it was, that she’d have cause to seek him out for that dance at the party. If not, he’d just be the idiot wearing clothes that matched hers, trying to stay out of sight until she’d finished with her confession.

“You’re sure it’s… not too much? Making another thing when you only have ten days left to finish your dress? Especially after…” His cheeks turned red. “After you didn’t make any progress last night because of me?”

“It’s not too much, I promise.” Marinette took his hand and looked at him seriously. “And listen... I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do, okay? You didn’t take advantage of anything. We both just needed…”

“A connection?”

Lowering her eyes and nodding solemnly, Marinette squeezed his hand gently and let go. “Yeah. A connection.” She looked back at him, smiling sadly. “I know this is a mess, but you should know I have… feelings for you too, but… but you’re right, Chat. We shouldn’t rush into anything. We should stick to the plan, and keep being friends.”

The now-familiar pain gripped his heart once more, and Chat did his best to smile. “Of course. Friends.” He looked up toward the hatch above them and rose up onto his knees, undoing the latch. “I should go. I need to get home before my… my family realizes I’m gone.”

Marinette reached out and grasped his forearm, stilling him. “Chat? Please don’t stop coming… okay? It wouldn’t be the same without you here. I don’t think I could—“

“Of course, Princess. I’ll see you tonight, alright?” He smiled down at her, trying to convey a calm he didn’t feel.

She nodded in return, and without further ado, he left out into the early morning chill, rushing home quickly as a few errant tears escaped his eyes.

* * *

After his shower, Adrien dressed and walked out of his bathroom to find Plagg staring at him with a smirk and a knowing expression.

“Hey there, Loverboy. Ready to stop ignoring me and talk about it?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Oh please, Plagg. You don’t want to talk about it, you just want to gloat and make me feel worse than I already do.”

Plagg reclined in his position mid-air, folding his arms behind his head and grinning. “Well, yeah… I’ve been telling you for days that something like this was going to happen. You should have listened.”

Adrien glared at him while he pulled on his socks.

“But I’m not completely heartless, you know. Also, I’ve been around long enough to know a thing or two about love.”

Anger and sadness welling up inside him, Adrien buried his face in his hands. “Spare me the lecture. I know I messed up. There’s nothing you could say that I haven’t beaten myself up about fifty times already.”

When Plagg said nothing, Adrien looked up and saw that his kwami was no longer lounging, but rather fully upright and giving him his complete attention.

“Hear me out, kid. Okay?”

Sighing and letting go of his frustration, Adrien nodded, signaling for Plagg to continue.

“I’m completely aware of what’s happening when you’re transformed…”

A deep blush suddenly appeared on Adrien’s cheeks.

“...but it’s not the same as experiencing it. Sometimes, you humans have a hard time thinking about a situation clearly when you’re in the middle of it. I’m actually really… impressed. With the way you handled things. It was surprisingly mature for someone who spends WAY too long grooming himself.” He steadfastly ignored Adrien’s glare. “You know… it was mature for you to slow things down when I KNOW what you really wanted to do to h— uh… do.”

Adrien stared up at his kwami then quickly averted his eyes, his cheeks even hotter than before. He  _ had _ wanted more with Marinette. So much more. What he’d done instead had taken all of his willpower.

Plagg flew closer. “I know it wasn’t easy, but you did the right thing, and I’m... proud of you.”

Tears filled Adrien’s eyes and he tried to blink them away while he pulled on one of his orange high-tops. “No, it wasn’t easy, but anything different would have been wrong. It’s more than just about me liking Marinette, and I do. I love her, Plagg. But... she doesn’t love Adrien.”

Plagg looked away then, catching Adrien’s attention, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

“She loves Luka. I have to let her figure that out before I do anything. And, if I’m being really honest with myself, I almost  _ did _ go too far. I wanted to, more than anything, and I really don’t think she would have pushed me away. But that’s the problem. She wasn’t pushing me away. I’m so used to being pushed away by the girl I like that I almost let myself cross a line we weren’t ready to cross simply because she  _ wasn’t saying no _ . And just because she wasn’t saying no doesn’t mean she was ready, and—“

A burst of emotion cut him off and he had to swallow a lump in his throat to be able to continue. He focused once again on tying his shoes. “I couldn’t take being one of her regrets, Plagg. I love her, and if I’m ever lucky enough to have her love me back, it’ll be because I respect her enough to let us take our time.”

Plagg suddenly crashed into Adrien’s chest and hugged him as best he could with his tiny kwami arms.

Adrien sat up a bit and looked down at the tiny black cat. “Plagg, what—?“

“Shhh… Just accept it.”

Taken aback for only a moment longer, Adrien smiled and cupped his hands around his kwami, returning the hug. It wasn’t often the destructive cat showed him affection, and he’d enjoy it while it lasted.

When they pulled apart, Plagg was still looking at him with concern. “So what’s your plan?”

Adrien let out a long sigh. “Ten days, Plagg. I’ll keep being there for her - as Chat. But I can’t make this even more confusing for both of us by continuing to get close to her physically. I need to be better about keeping my distance.”

“And as Adrien?”

Surprised by the question, Adrien felt his heartbeat quicken slightly. He hadn’t really considered the school day they had ahead of them. He’d see her, the amazing girl he’d spent the whole night with, all throughout the day. He’d think about the feel of her lips against his, the curves of her body that he’d been able to explore… the taste of her tongue.

_ Crap _ . He was screwed.

“I hadn’t… I hadn’t really thought about it, but she’s… she’s my friend. I can’t exactly stay away from her, she’d be suspicious.”

Plagg nodded. “And Ladybug? You have to talk to her before you reveal your identity to someone… which, by the way, isn’t maybe the best plan. Just saying.”

Adrien stood, suddenly feeling antsy. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

“I don’t know, Plagg. I’ll figure it out.”


	6. December 12th - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette spends the school day totally overwhelmed by everything that has happened recently, and lunch is more eventful than she had originally planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it turns out I didn't die after all! My life has been totally insane for the last six months, but I have every intention of getting back to not just this story, but my other unfinished ones and new ones as well. Thank you all for your patience and your kind comments and as always, for reading and loving these silly stories I write. Love you all!

“Hurry up, Marinette! You don’t want to be late for school again.”

Marinette slowly refocused her eyes as she begrudgingly pulled herself out of her daydream. She had been replaying the events of the previous night… and perhaps adding in a few more details. Her cheeks a deep red, she hugged a pillow close from her place on the chaise. It smelled like him, which didn’t help the intensity of the desire she was feeling.

She looked up at where the dress she’d been carefully crafting rested on her dress form, covered in a white sheet to keep it clean. Tears filled her eyes, and she looked over to where Tikki was watching her intently.

“I’m a terrible person, Tikki.”

The kwami flew quickly over to her miraculous holder and crashed into her cheek, nuzzling close. “Oh Marinette, why would you say such a thing?”

A tear rolled down Marinette’s cheek. She squeezed the pillow she was holding closer and sighed heavily. She felt incredibly guilty for being so torn, and couldn’t quite nail down how she was supposed to be feeling.

“Chat deserves so much better than me. I’ve been pushing him away as Ladybug for years because I was completely hung up on Adrien. And now… now I—” Her voice caught in her throat and she buried her face in the pillow she was holding, feeling ashamed.

“Oh, Marinette…” Tikki flew back a bit, giving the girl some space. “Your feelings for Chat Noir took you by surprise. You would never hurt him intentionally.”

“But I  _ have _ hurt him, Tikki!” Marinette raised her head to look once again at her kwami, her voice thick with emotion. “Last night I was being completely selfish. I… I wanted more. A lot more than what we did. More than once I was seconds away from asking him to detransform just so I could…”

Another blush covered her cheeks, and she buried her face once again in the pillow.

“I can’t believe how careless I was. I was ready to ask him to reveal his identity to me just because I was lost in the moment. It was stupid and selfish and there’s no way I could ever expect him to trust me if I let this go so far without telling him who I am.”

After crying silently into her pillow for a minute, Marinette took a deep breath and continued. 

“And that’s not even the half of it! I had the audacity to ask him to reveal himself to me at the party. For what?! To make me feel better when Adrien inevitably tells me I’m just a friend to him? It’s not fair, Tikki!  _ I’m _ not being fair. Asking Chat to be my backup boyfriend when things don’t go my way? I would have chosen him! If he hadn’t told me this morning that we were moving too fast and insisted I finish what I started, I would have just worn the dress to feel good about myself at the party and been content knowing that Chat was waiting for me afterward. I love him. I do. And it hurts. And I wish he hadn’t told me we should wait, but you want to know the worst thing of all? The worst thing is I still hope Adrien will tell me he loves me back! The way he showed so much care and concern for me yesterday… I can’t help but love him, and it’s SO unfair.”

Her voice was slightly muffled as she yelled into her pillow, but it was clear Tikki had heard her when she once again flew close and offered as much comfort as her tiny body could manage.

Marinette lifted her head, offering the tiniest bit of a smile to the kwami cuddling against her hand clutching the pillow. “Thank you, Tikki. I’m so glad I have you.” Tears flowed down her cheeks, but getting all of those things off her chest helped immensely. The guilt of her position, loving two boys, had been weighing heavily on her.

“And I’m glad I have you, Marinette. You’re a wonderful person, and you try so hard to do the right thing. I know how much you love Chat, but he was right when he said you should see this through.” Tikki smiled sadly, seeming to have more to say, so Marinette watched the kwami attentively and waited for her to finish.

“You’ve loved Adrien for a long time. Those feelings won’t just go away if you choose someone different. You need to know that the person you choose is the person you want to be with. If you have any doubts, it’ll tear you apart and leave you constantly second-guessing.”

Swallowing hard, Marinette nodded slowly. She knew Tikki was right, but it still hurt to hear. It may be a harder path, but knowing with certainty that she was making the right decision would ultimately lead to a happier, healthier relationship. It wouldn’t be fair to whichever blond boy she picked if she spent the time they were together pining for the one she didn’t.

“Marinette,  _ I support you. _ I think your plan is a good one, and Chat will look fantastic in whatever you make for him to wear. When you see Adrien, and you tell him how you feel, it’ll all work out, no matter what happens. I know it will.”

“You’re not worried that I might know who he is after this party?”

Tikki smiled knowingly and rubbed her cheek against Marinette’s hand once again. “Not at all. At this point, you’ve both proven how responsible you are, and I know you both will take that seriously when you know each other’s identities, whenever that happens.”

Marinette took a long moment to process what Tikki had said before she spoke. “What do you think I should do?”

Flying up and nuzzling Marinette’s cheek, Tikki sighed. “I think you should follow through with your original plan to finish your dress and confess your feelings. Make whatever you’re planning to make for Chat. Do what feels right.”

* * *

The moment Marinette entered the school, her eyes settled on Adrien. He was standing at the top of the staircase, chatting with Nino. Her heart rate quickened and she felt the same magnetism she had begun to feel more consistently with both him and Chat. She felt foolish and fickle and…

“Marinette!”

Alya yanked her arm, startling her just as Adrien turned and caught her eye, a smile immediately coming to his face that she didn’t get to enjoy for more than a moment.

Recovering from her disorientation, Marinette readjusted her focus on Alya, who had already launched into a breathless tirade about… something.

_ Focus, Marinette. _

“...a very reliable source. I have every reason to believe that what I’m hearing is true.”

Her brow knitting, Marinette tried her best to recall what had come before Alya’s most recent words, to no avail. “I’m sorry Alya… I didn’t catch any of that.”

Alya sighed heavily and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Okay. I get it. You haven’t been sleeping much lately, have you?”

Wondering briefly if the bags under her eyes had become permanent, Marinette nodded. “Yeah, I guess not. I’ve been working hard on that dress.”

A wide grin split across Alya’s face and she leaned in close. “Ah, that makes sense. I’m so excited by the way, I literally put it on my calendar; ‘The First Day of A&M’s Life Together’. So how’s it coming? I’m dying to see it.”

Marinette cringed at the idea that Alya was so certain of the outcome and tried to smile. “It’s going well. Mostly just a little embroidery and putting it all together left.”

“Yay! Okay, I’m coming over for lunch and I want to get a good look, girl!”

Smiling and nodding, Marinette’s eyes drifted to the side to see Adrien watching her from much nearer than his previous position at the top of the steps.

“Okay,” began Alya, “actually listen this time, alright? I have big news.”

Tearing her eyes away from the boy who was at that point quite obviously making intentional eye contact with her, Marinette attempted to give her best friend her full attention despite the desire to walk away and give in to her baser instincts.

Alya wasted no time in relaunching into her excited rambling. “I have it on  _ very  _ good authority that the tables have officially turned with Lady Luck and everyone’s favorite catboy. It turns out that Chat Noir has stopped pursuing Ladybug. No more flirting, no more kissing her hand, nothing. But even more interesting is that Ladybug has been spotted more than once watching Chat Noir longingly, lingering more than normal after akuma battles, and, get this—”

Alya’s eyes lit up like she was about to open a very highly anticipated gift. “There are even pictures of her reaching out to hold his hand… and him pulling away, getting  _ really upset,  _ and rushing off, leaving her behind, crying alone.”

Marinette felt like her blood had frozen and her heart had stopped. She had really hoped that nobody had seen that exchange between her and Chat. It was such a source of pain and regret for her that tears stung in her eyes and threatened to fall.

Seeming to not have noticed Marinette’s discomfort, Alya continued her excited detailing of every piece of evidence she had received to support her theory that Chat had fallen out of love with Ladybug. Marinette’s eyes wandered again and met Adrien’s once more. He looked concerned, appearing to have noticed how distraught she was.

He didn’t hesitate. He rushed to Alya’s side, clapping a hand down on her shoulder and smiling his model smile. “Hey you two! Alya, can I steal Marinette for a minute? I accidentally popped a seam on my shirt, and I’m hoping she can save me from my father’s wrath.”

Alya grinned at Marinette and waggled her eyebrows suggestively before smiling sweetly at Adrien. “Ah, say no more, Sunshine. Marinette’s the girl for you. She’ll take  _ really _ good care of you. See you both in class!” She wasted no time in giving them space, rushing off without finishing her story.

Adrien’s eyes hadn’t left Marinette’s once during their exchange, and it hadn’t escaped her notice. He moved closer, and though he seemed to hesitate for a moment, he reached out a hand and brushed her cheek gently with his knuckles.

“Are you okay, Marinette? You seemed really upset by whatever Alya was going on about.”

Marinette smiled softly at the sweet gesture, willing her cheeks to stay a neutral color.

“I am now. Thanks for rescuing me. She was just talking about… about something that makes me sad.”

Crap. She hadn’t actually meant to say that. Now he was going to worry and ask what Alya was talking about and—

Adrien smiled politely and caressed her arm, the light touch sending shivers throughout her body.

When did he become so comfortable touching her? And when did she start reveling in it instead of running away from it? Her mind began to wander, just as it had that morning, but instead of Chat’s, she imagined Adrien’s hands caressing her body.

Oh no. She was not going to confuse herself even more by daydreaming about making out with Adrien. About what his skin must taste like. About the fact that he wouldn’t have a leather catsuit in the way if she decided she was ready to…

Adrien was staring at her inquisitively. Her eyes went wide. Had he asked her a question? Oh no. Oh no oh no. This was not good.

“I’m so sorry. Did you say something?”

He grinned and, without hesitation, reached out to take her hand.

“Come on. Let’s get to class.”

* * *

Time had passed at a snail’s pace, and Marinette was left even more confused than she had been that morning. 

It seemed that Adrien was doing all he could to be in physical contact with her at every reasonable opportunity. More than once during class he had reached back to touch her hand, and when their teacher had asked them to pair up for an in-class assignment, he actually asked Alya if it would be okay if he could ‘be with Marinette’. The phrasing had made her blush, but Alya’s response of ‘I’ve been dying for you to ask me that question’ did not help.

When their lunch hour finally came, Marinette was already outside, ready to practically run home just to let herself have a break from overheating around the boy she was once again becoming increasingly fixated upon. The feel of his skin against hers, his closeness making it so easy for her to smell his intoxicating and strangely familiar aroma... She needed an escape from the constant onslaught of hormonal overwhelm.

“Hey girl! Ready to go have lunch?”

Alya, sweet Alya. Simple, uncomplicated, not a blond, shaggy-haired, insanely attractive boy, Alya. Marinette turned, ready to seek refuge in her best friend while they ate the no-doubt delicious lunch her mother m—

Adrien. And Nino too, she supposed… but Adrien was walking toward them in all his insanely attractive, shaggy-haired blondness. Damn it all, Alya.

“Di-did you…?”

“Invite Adrien and Nino to lunch? You bet your cute butt I did!” Alya grinned and bit her lip, glancing between Adrien and Marinette until she was close enough to her pigtailed best friend that the boys couldn’t hear her. “You can thank me later. I’ve seen the way you two have been eyeing each other all day.”

Marinette almost glared at the treacherous instigator, but then Adrien’s soft, kind smile caught her eye, and she nearly swooned instead. Catching herself, she shook her head as she turned toward her house, chastising her own childishness. She wasn’t fourteen anymore, and she and Adrien had been friends for years. She needed to get a grip.

* * *

When roughly half of their lunch break had passed, Alya stood up from her seat on Marinette’s chaise and stretched.

“I’m gonna head down and grab some fresh croissants from Sabine. Maybe some more drinks too. Nino, will you come with me?”

Nino, who had been in the middle of telling a joke they’d all heard at least three times, barely acknowledged his girlfriend’s request, waving a hand thoughtlessly in a gesture that suggested he’d be right with her.

Alya folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. “Let me rephrase. Nino. Come with me.”

Adrien and Marinette laughed heartily, despite the fact that she suspected they both knew full well what Alya was trying to pull. Once the long-time couple had made their way down the steps, shutting the trapdoor behind them, Adrien turned to his companion from his spot sitting on her cedar chest and grinned.

“Do you think they’ll always be like that? Even when they’re old and grey?”

Marinette couldn’t help but smile at Adrien’s question. They were young, she knew, but she couldn’t help but hope that Nino and Alya really could be one of those couples that was just together forever.

“Oh yeah, that’s one thing about Alya that’s never changing.”

The pleasant and bemused smile on Adrien’s face lasted only a moment before his expression grew focused and somehow darker. He appeared to hesitate briefly, then stood and moved toward where she sat on the chaise. He looked at her and then the chaise and then back to her. Seeming to come to a decision, he sat, leaning back on the pillows as Chat had so many times.

“So…” Adrien began, sounding nervous but like he was trying to convey calm and self-assurance. “What about you? Anyone you want to spend your life with like that?”

Marinette was taken off guard by his question, but her brain wasn’t processing it properly either. She had been rendered dumbstruck by his approach, and his sudden close proximity, and the way the muscles in his chest and stomach moved under the thin fabric of his shirt when he laid back like that… 

Was she staring? Oh hell, she was. Why was she still staring?! And she was nodding? Why was she nodding? What had he asked again?

She forced her eyes away from his body and up to his face. His lips… NO! His  _ eyes! _ Come on Marinette, his eyes!

She focused on his eyes and tried to recall what he had just asked her. Something about spending her life doing… something? She was leaning in. Instinctually, she was sure. There was something about Adrien’s presence that was making her woozy. Or maybe it was just aftereffects of all the things the previous night had awoken in her.

Adrien was also moving closer. He sat up slightly from where he had been lying back quite comfortably, all evidence pointing to him also being affected by this strange magnetism that had made its way between them, drawing them closer to one another without provocation. Marinette could hear his breathing, could feel the warmth of his skin emanating across the short distance between them. She wanted so desperately to reach out, to close the distance and to lose herself in the same feelings and desires that the previous night had brought out.

Instead, she quickly stood and stretched, forcing a yawn.

She really, really hoped she hadn’t just ruined her chances at being that close to kissing him again. Or was she, even? Is that what was happening? Was she just reading too much into their actions because… hormones?

One way or another, it would be really stupid and really inappropriate to kiss him the day after she spent the night with another boy, even if that boy did encourage her to see her original crush through.

Ugh, and she was justifying it! Justifying her stupid, fickle, pathetic hormonal reactions. She shouldn’t even be thinking about kissing Adrien when she was ready to put her feelings for him to rest that very morning!

Adrien cleared his throat behind her and she could hear him adjust himself on the seat. “Are you tired, Marinette?”

She wasn’t ready to look at him just yet, sure that it would result in her cheeks turning bright red. She turned toward her mannequin instead and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been pulling a lot of late nights recently, working on a project. I haven’t gotten much sleep for the last few weeks.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Marinette’s heart was pounding. It would have been so easy to kiss him. And not only would it have been an unreasonable thing to do on this day of all days, but he might not have even wanted it. It would have destroyed the purpose of all the work she had been putting in.

“It’s fine. I actually got the best night sleep I’ve gotten in as long as I can remember last night, so it probably balances out.” She turned to look at him, finally ready to accept that she avoided kissing him in favor of her plan to confess her feelings. She was not expecting to see him blush. He was looking down, but the color change was unmistakable.

“Yeah, same.” His eyes darted up to hers, and he seemed nervous. “I uh… I mean… it probably does balance out. You’re right.” Shuffling to the edge of the chaise, Adrien pointed toward the mannequin, currently draped in the white sheet that protected the dress she’d been making just for him. “So. Can I see this project you’ve been working on?”

Startled by the question, Marinette glanced over to what he was pointing at before looking back at him with a smirk on her face. “Sorry. You’ll have to wait until Chloe’s Christmas party, just like everyone else.”

Standing, Adrien moved closer to her, his eyes watching her every move. “I look forward to it. I’m sure it’s amazing because so are— so is everything you do.” He moved closer, and she didn’t think she possessed the willpower to put a stop to whatever the force pulling them together had in mind this time.

Leaning in, Adrien kissed her gently on the cheek, lingering a moment before he moved away. “You’re amazing, Marinette.”

The redness in her cheeks came as no surprise, but the sound of the trapdoor opening did. She and Adrien jumped apart as though they’d been caught in the act, both red in the face and doing their utmost to pretend nothing out of the ordinary had transpired.


	7. December 17th - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last day of school before winter break, and Adrien has a couple conversations he's determined to get to. Nino has another, very pointed conversation in mind.

“Hey dude, one more class and then it’s Christmas break! You excited?” Nino leaned against the lockers and grinned at Adrien, who was fiddling with his combo lock.

Excited didn’t even begin to cover how Adrien was feeling. The last several days had done nothing but build up a slew of intense emotions within him. 

He was completely, irrevocably, head over heels in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

Since he had so frustratingly decided to encourage her to follow through on her plan to confess her feelings to Luka, things had gone incredibly well with her as both Adrien and Chat. It wasn’t that he regretted the choice he had made, it was almost certainly the right one… but being close to her every day at school as Adrien, every night as Chat, and often after school with other friends as well was making it really hard to not kiss her. He’d come close several times, once as Adrien even, and it had seemed like she might have wanted the same, but she had pulled away and left him feeling like he’d read the situation entirely wrong.

Opening his locker and pulling out the notebook he needed for his final class, Adrien sighed heavily. “Kind of, I guess. It mostly just means that I’m home alone in my room and can’t make as many excuses to hang out with Marin— with you guys.”

Nino looked at his best friend suspiciously. “Bruh. Speaking of which… Alya and I have been meaning to talk to you. We’ve been… noticing some things.”

Adrien closed his locker and turned to face the meddler. He knew where this was going. It was that lunch at Marinette’s all over again. Alya and Nino trying to push him closer to Marinette was everything he wanted, in truth, but it didn’t help him at all in trying to give her the space and time she needed to figure out if he or Luka was who she really wanted.

Narrowing his eyes, he hiked his bag up onto his shoulder and huffed. “What  _ things _ , exactly?”

He wasn’t really sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t what he heard next.

“You’re in love with Marinette, aren’t you?”

Eyes wide, Adrien glanced around the room, hoping that no one else heard what Nino had just said.

“Nino, what the hell? You can’t just go saying things like that out loud!”

Shrugging nonchalantly, Nino leaned closer. “One of us should. You’re in denial, bro. It’s about time you get your head out of your ass and face the facts. You got it bad. Everyone can tell.”

Adrien did not love that what he thought was him carefully masking his true feelings through reasonable displays of friendship was evidently so easily seen through. Did that mean Marinette had noticed too? And when he considered the night she pulled away when he came close to kissing her as Adrien... If she had deduced his feelings for her, did that mean she really was not at all interested?

His heart hurt, but he had to deal with Nino right now. He could deny, but it would just get him and Alya on his case more and he knew it.

Sighing, Adrien grabbed Nino’s arm and pulled him to a more private corner of the locker room. “Listen.” Adrien looked his best friend intently in the eyes. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about her. She likes someone else.”

Nino looked genuinely perplexed, his mouth opening then closing again. His brow knit and he reached up to remove his hat and scratch his head. 

Adrien had never seen someone so perfectly encapsulate the stereotypical response to confusion. He didn’t know what to make of it in this situation. Did Nino not know about Marinette’s crush on Luka? Surely she had told Alya about it, and he knew from experience that Alya shared way more than he was comfortable with with her boyfriend. There were certain things that Alya had unfortunately witnessed that Adrien would have preferred no one ever know about, especially his best friend who would never shut up about it.

Finally looking up at Adrien, Nino seemed to come to a conclusion. He put his hat back on and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, leaning in close. “Who exactly do you think Marinette has a crush on, my dude?”

Genuinely surprised, Adrien narrowed his eyes incredulously. “Luka. Obviously.”

Leaning back dramatically, Nino blinked several times in rapid succession. He opened his mouth to speak, but the class bell rang, interrupting him.

The two boys looked intently at one another, silently agreeing they’d resume their conversation later, before hurrying to class.

* * *

The urge to turn around and look at Marinette was driving him insane. He wanted to talk to her, to make plans for the holiday break, to laugh with her, to see her smile, to… to…

He wanted to tell her who he was.

Obviously, the plan was to be at the party in the design Marinette was making for him. If things didn’t go well with Luka, he would dance with her, and she would know who he was. But that was a plan that was based on… Well, on the idea that Chat wasn’t Adrien. It was unfair to her to let her believe that he would be there for her romantically as Chat if Luka turned her down, when he didn’t even know if she was interested in Adrien that way.

Was it totally insane to think that if she knew he was Adrien, she might choose him  _ instead _ of Luka? Or, alternatively, maybe she’d just resent him for all his deceit. He hated that he’d gotten so close without her knowing the truth.

He sighed and lowered his head to the table, earning a nudge and a concerned look from Nino. He smiled, trying to reassure his friend, then turned his attention back to their teacher.

On top of not knowing what to do about his situation with Marinette, he’d been procrastinating talking to Ladybug. He should probably have asked her sooner, but he needed to at least do it before actually revealing his identity to the girl he loved. He was still running the risk of her saying no, but she knew Marinette, and he hoped that his partner would know how trustworthy his classmate was.

Only a couple of minutes later, a loud crash and a series of screams signaled that he may have his chance to talk to Ladybug sooner than he thought.

The entire class stood, knowing the drill like the back of their hands by that point. Nino stretched lazily, no longer frightened by the attacks, and turned toward the girls sitting behind them.

“You wanna hide all together? I have a deck of cards.”

Alya laughed heartily and pulled out her phone, switching it to her camera app. “You’re hilarious, my love. You know better than that.”

Nino shrugged and nudged Adrien’s arm. “Hey, a guy can dream.”

The four friends grinned at one another before rushing out of the room, going their separate ways once again.

* * *

Chat shook another gigantic glob of slime off of his arm, a look of disgust on his face. “Ugh, if I’d known this battle was going to be so sticky, I would have stuck to the sidelines.”

Instead of her usual eyeroll, Ladybug looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face, her lips pressed into a line. “You would not, don’t lie.” She reached down, digging her hand into a large pile of goo, fishing for the Lucky Charm she used to defeat the akuma. “Give me just a sec and I’ll get all this cleaned up.”

He watched her dig around in the thick viscous soup, a look of sincere concern on his face. He had really hurt her when he’d pulled away that day. She had been distant and quiet ever since. They still put on a good show for the cameras, especially after it had been picked up that they had some sort of falling out. They’d determined to put on their best smiles to hopefully assuage any doubt and put rumors to rest. But that didn’t change the obvious differences in their partnership.

They no longer felt close like they once had, and he hated it. They still were, he knew, but things had been so awkward with her ever since he rebuffed her affections. She’d hardly even made eye contact with him. They were still a good team, able to communicate nonverbally in their goal to defeat the akuma of the day, but she had been his best friend too. Now, they were just… friends.

He made a conscious effort to replace his look of concern with the cocky, self-assuredness that the public synonymized him with before looking back up from where Ladybug was pulling the tiny thumbtack out of the goop.

“Even with all this washed away, you’re still stuck with me, my lady.”

It was the wrong thing to say. He knew it, but it just kind of slipped out. Stupid puns. His old habits were ruining his plan.

Ladybug wasted no time in tossing the Lucky Charm into the air, calling a swarm of tiny ladybugs to undo all the damage that had been done. Once everything returned to normal, Chat watched as she reassured the akuma victim that what had happened wasn’t their fault.

Chat moved closer to her, knowing that she would stay long enough to see them off, and probably no longer. Once she’d waved goodbye to the person who they’d just finished fighting, she pulled out her yo-yo, readying to take off.

“Ladybug, wait! Can we talk?”

Turning to look at him, a brief moment of hurt and apprehension flashed across her face before she forced it back to a look of pleasant determination. “Sure Chat, but I only have a few minutes. Let’s go somewhere with less of an audience.”

He hadn’t really been paying attention to their surroundings, other than the vague knowledge that he needed to keep his professional mask on. He looked around and saw a decent size group of people, all with their phones out recording, Alya included. He hoped they would disperse and not bother Ladybug after this particular conversation.

Nodding, he gestured up toward the Eiffel Tower, not far from where they stood. Ladybug smiled sadly and swung herself up, not waiting for another word on the matter.

Chat’s heart rate began to increase. He was so worried about what she’d say, how she’d react. Would she outright refuse? Would he have to make the hard choice between trusting Ladybug’s judgement and keeping his promise to Marinette? He hoped not. He really didn’t want it to come to that.

Launching himself toward the tower, he made short work of making his way up to where she was already waiting for him, her legs swinging casually in the open air as she sat on a ledge.

She didn’t look at him, just stared off into the distance. He hoped that didn’t mean she was already upset. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to talk to her about his plan or she would likely not trust him anymore, and their partnership would only fall further apart.

“I can’t stay long Chat, so what’s up?”

She didn’t sound too happy about having to be there. About having to listen to him. But this wasn’t the time to hesitate. He didn’t know if he’d have another chance to talk to her before the party.

“I need to talk to you about… about maybe revealing my identity to someone.”

Ladybug only nodded, otherwise very still. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he continued.

“It’s uh… not guaranteed, but if things go, um… if they go the way I hope they will…”

Chat vaguely registered Ladybug stiffening slightly.

“...then my plan is to let Marinette Dupain-Cheng know who I am outside the suit.”

Standing abruptly, Ladybug nodded one more time. “And you trust her?”

Chat nodded in response before he realized she wasn’t looking at him. “Entirely.”

Ladybug wrapped her arms around herself in what seemed like an attempt to warm up in the winter cold. “Okay. I trust you.” She turned and looked at him for the first time up on the tower. Biting her lip, she appeared to be considering saying something else, but then nodded again and looked away.

“We better go. Good luck with… with Marinette. I hope it goes the… way you want.”

And with that, she was gone.

Chat blinked, furrowing his brow in confusion. He supposed that that was permission enough, but it was odd how quickly she agreed, and she seemed upset. He sighed, scratching the back of his scalp as he tried to redirect his thoughts.

Marinette. He checked the time on his baton and found that school was about to end. They’d made short work of the messy akuma, but there was still the remainder of his final class before school let out for the holidays. If he hurried, he’d be able to talk to Marinette before she went home.

* * *

Assuming that everyone would already be heading to the common spaces in the school, Adrien approached his classroom to grab his things before going to find his friends.

“—can’t believe it, girl! What’s gotten into you? Or should the question be  _ who?” _

“ALYA! It’s not like that! I don’t know, it’s just… I’m really confused about how I’m supposed to feel about…”

Marinette lowered her voice, preventing Adrien from hearing what she said next. He realized that he had stopped in his tracks when he heard them talking and desperately did not want to eavesdrop. But the girl he wanted to talk to was in there, and so was his bag, so he resumed his approach as loudly as possible so they wouldn’t think he’d been listening.

Turning the corner into the classroom, he saw Marinette’s eyes dart up to his and her face turn red. She was probably worried he’d heard whatever she had said.

“Speak of the devil.” Alya had a wide grin on her face. Whatever it was that Marinette had told her, she obviously had found it to be of great interest.

Adrien tipped his head to the side, a bit confused by Alya’s use of the phrase.

“What do you mean by that?”

Alya opened her mouth, stopped only by Marinette throwing herself in front of her best friend and waving her arms wildly, her face as red as a tomato.

“OH, NOTHING! You know Alya… always saying  _ craaaaazy _ stuff!” Her voice was frantic and she looked incredibly embarrassed as she did her best to block every bit of the taller girl from his view.

Smiling softly at his two ridiculous friends, Adrien shook his head slightly and went over to grab his bag. “Alright. Well, I just came to grab my bag, and I was hoping to talk to you, actually.”

“To me?” Marinette seemed to realize the bizarre stance she had adopted, and immediately forced herself into a more natural posture, adjusting the placement of her hands several times before ultimately choosing to fist them on her hips. She looked vaguely like Ladybug, standing like that.

Adrien realized that his gaze had come to rest on Marinette and he had unwisely let it get comfortable there. Singling her out would imply that he was looking for more than what he was trying to give the impression of wanting. He quickly pulled his eyes away from her. “Oh, uh… both of you! I uh, just thought that we should make plans. You know, for Christmas break! I mean… we’ll see each other at Chloe’s party, but that’s  _ Chloe’s _ party. It’d be nice to get together just us.” His traitorous eyes darted between the two girls. “And Nino, of course.”

Again grinning widely and sidestepping Marinette to move closer to Adrien, Alya looked him up and down, studying his expression. “Yeah, okay, Agreste. That sounds great. We should definitely do that. Don’t you think we should do that, Marinette?”

Marinette seemed to have zoned out a bit, staring at Adrien with a faraway look. Alya hooked her arm with Marinette’s and started pulling her toward the door. “She would love that, Adrien; but I do believe that Marinette.exe has stopped working temporarily. We have some things to discuss, so we’ll talk to you later!”

Once the girls had exited the classroom, Marinette regained consciousness and poked her head back through the door.

“I  _ would  _ love that! Sorry, my head’s in a thousand places right now, but let’s get together soon!” Alya tugged her away right after that, and he followed slowly, not wanting to interrupt their private conversation again.

Nearing the stairs to head down to leave the school, he saw Alya stop to talk to Nino briefly before dragging Marinette off again. He watched Marinette’s figure for as long as he could while walking down the steps, not noticing where Nino had moved until he nearly bumped into him.

“Alright bro, spill. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, cuz it’s insane. Why would you think Marinette has a thing for Luka?” Nino looked at his best friend with skepticism and a touch of concern.

Adrien once again looked toward Marinette’s home and saw the two girls one last time before they disappeared into the bakery.

“I, uh…” The question seemed absurd. Of course she liked Luka, that was obvious in how incredibly comfortable she was with him. And it was obvious that Luka had a thing for her too, so he was still confused as to why she would think the musician wouldn’t return her affections. He’d watched them hug and be affectionate… at least in a friendly way. And, now that he thought about it, that was mostly over a year ago. Luka had started spending time with other people a lot more, people his own age instead of his little sister’s friends.

They still occasionally played music all together on his family’s houseboat and hung out for a few hours, but Luka wasn’t making a point to hang out with them the way he had been. Not in a while, in fact. His eyes opened wide as realization finally hit him.

Why would Luka even be at Chloe’s Christmas party?

He turned and looked Nino directly in the eye, his mouth hanging open slightly. “She doesn’t like Luka, does she?”

Nino chuckled and adjusted his hat, shaking his head at his oblivious friend. “Nah, man. She doesn’t.”


End file.
